CocoCami: The restaurant at Jesmond Dene House...

As part of our recent stay at Jesmond Dene House* in Newcastle, we were lucky enough to dine at the restaurant within the hotel. I have heard glowing reports of the food for a long time, which is created by Executive Head Chef Michael Penaluna and his team, who are passionate about the use of local and seasonal ingredients. I was eagerly anticipating the meal ahead as we took our seats in the elegant dining room, which has an understated aesthetic with white tablecloths and walls adorned with art. The afternoon teas at Jesmond Dene House are very popular and the lunch and dinner menus centre on fine dining dishes and steaks. A selection of freshly baked bread and rolls got the meal underway, with which we selected seaweed butter which complemented the doughy bread.

My starter of roast squash with goats cheese, black olives and Northumberland honey was a perfect way to begin the meal, with lightness from the creamy goats cheese and a wonderful layer of sweetness from the honey whilst the black olive added a contrasting depth of flavour.

My dining companion chose the cauliflower and Tunworth as his starter, served with a red onion gel, Vadouvan onions and coriander. This had such a wealth of flavours and the Tunworth cheese (which tastes reminiscent of Camembert) worked well with the nutty cauliflower.

My main course of parsley spelt risotto with St George mushroom, goats cheese, tomato and black olive was a revelation, the first thing which struck me about it was the vibrancy of the dish with so many colourful elements. The risotto itself was hearty with plenty of flavour from the parsley, whilst the tomatoes added a zesty note and the entire set of ingredients was drawn together by smooth goats cheese.

My dining companion chose the 14oz T-Bone served with chips and Béarnaise, to which he also added a side of North country vegetables. All the steaks at Jesmond Dene House are sourced from R&J Butchers Himalayan salt aged Range, they are 35 Day aged on the bone and the quality of the meat was reflected in the flavour as the steak was succulent and perfectly cooked, a real treat with the Béarnaise which was not too heavy. Chunky homemade chips and vegetables were the ideal accompaniments, allowing the steak to take centre stage.

I cannot wait to get to the next part of this review, to tell you about one of the most amazing desserts I have ever eaten. As soon as I saw the dark chocolate sphere with salted caramel, peanuts and caramel ice cream on the menu I knew that it had to be mine. What attracted me to this was not only the combination of chocolate and peanuts, but also that it is served as a solid sphere of chocolate, over which molten chocolate sauce is poured, causing the sphere to melt revealing the caramel ice cream within. The sheer theatre of this alone makes it worth ordering, as watching the rivers of chocolate being poured over the sphere is great fun. The taste sensation of the melted chocolate merged with the peanuts and ice cream is exquisite and even writing about this dessert makes me want to eat it all over again.

My dining companion was slightly more restrained and he left the true indulgence to me, ordering the warm apple espuma for his dessert, with vanilla custard and apple sorbet. This was a feast for the eyes, another beautifully presented dish and it was so light and refreshing with plenty of zesty apple flavour complemented by the creamy custard. The whole meal was a joy, with hearty flavours and stunning presentation as well as exceptional service from Dale.

Dinner at The Restaurant at Jesmond Dene House was excellent and it was clear that so much thought had been put in to the dishes, with an impressive use of local and seasonal produce (some of which is grown in their own gardens) and striking presentation. This was an out of the ordinary dining experience in every way, from the freshly baked rolls to that amazing dessert.

Jesmond Dene House

Jesmond Dene Rd,

Newcastle upon Tyne

NE2 2EY

0191 212 3000

www.jesmonddenehouse.co.uk

What do you all think, do you like the idea of fine dining which incorporates local and seasonal produce and which of these dishes appeals to you? As always I cannot wait to hear your thoughts and thank you so much for reading this post.

Until next time,

Camille

*This meal was complimentary for the purposes of this review. Opinions stated herein are my own and honest.